Sickened by the Spill

Anyone who knows me also knows that I have been deeply affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf.  I am angry, bewildered, frustrated...on so many levels... for so many reasons that I have put off  writing about it for nearly a month.  I am no closer to being able to wrap my brain around this tragedy than I was in the beginning, but I am blogging on because I am hoping it will at least help me think it through.

On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire aboard the BP oil drilling platform, Deep Horizon, killed eleven workers.  It also resulted in a massive oil spill that continues to pump thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf daily.  I say thousands because noone seems to be able to estimate, with any degree of accuracy, the daily volume of spilled oil. BP now states that they are capturing 3000 barrels daily, but there is no estimate as to how much continues to spew forth.

Beyond the tragic loss of human life, the BP disaster will have far reaching consequences for the ecosystem along the U.S. Gulf Coast and it has already impacted residents who depend on a healthy Gulf of Mexico to support both fisheries and tourism. There are so many restrictions on fisheries at present, I couldn't begin to list them all...and despite reports of "clean beaches" tourism is down...so BP has now reportedly given 70 million dollars to the Gulf states to air commercials the company made to promote tourism.  It all makes me sick.

Today, I watched as BP CEO Tony Hayward had the nerve to tell the world that the environmental impact of the Deepwater Disaster would be "very, very, modest." Yeah, maybe in the U.K. The truth is he doesn't know, and I don't know, and I'd guess that most of the experts don't even know... yet. It could take decades for a full assessment...will we watch the marine food web unravel in the Gulf? Will it stop there? How far will the oil travel? Around the Florida Keys? Will there be gaps in spawning cycles? What about migratory birds? What about the loss of marine life we can't see? Oh, the questions are endless, and relentless...and by the time we might be able to see changes in numbers of endangered species, will it be blamed on something else? Endless, and relentless until my brain just wants to explode.

And then there is the BP Atlantis platform.  Just as dangerous, and again, without the acoustic control shut-off system...and that isn't all BP's fault. We don't require them...not part of the rules for off-shore drilling. Our rules are in part to blame. Brazil and Norway have safer rules. 

Our whole energy policy stinks.  We talk about clean energy, but it is just talk.  Instead of pushing through clean energy solutions, the President I've supported ushered in a new wave of off-shore drilling exploration just before the Deepwater incident. Bad timing clearly. I am angry. We are too dependant on fossil fuels. We are all to blame. My car gets good gas mileage, but I drive it too much. I haven't finished the glassing/insulating of my south facing back porch which could have provided some solar heat last winter. I am mad at me.

I have a whole list of idiots whose pictures I'd like to throw darts at: Tony Hayward (BP CEO already mentioned), Rush Limbaugh (for even suggesting that the Sierra Club should pay the clean-up tab), Lisa Murkowski (yet another Alaskan idiot, for derailing the move to increase fines for wreaking environmental havoc)...and yeah, I'm not real happy with my guy in the White House because I need him to take a stronger stand. If ever there was a time to cement a new sense of environmental obligation...this is it.

And then there is my beautiful Chesapeake, my home, my peace, my place like no other...and the thought of drilling off the Maryland/Virginia coast just scares me...and I am hoping those plans will not proceed, but they are far from being tabled...so stand up, my friends, and make your voices count. We could be next.

Angry. Angry and wanting something good to arise from the anger...So, I will complete the porch project, and when I finish paying off the Matrix, the next one will be a hybrid.  And I will have to make better lists so I don't have to drive to the same place twice. And I will keep signing petitions, and writing to our legislators about the need for clean energy, and about ending off-shore drilling.  We must fully understand the consequences of our mistakes...we can't continue to put our oceans and our planet at risk.

At it again...

Since my last blog...

Tomatoes soon!!!

 I have puttered around worked in my mom's garden...

My mom's garden is always a mini wonderland, and always chaotic...We aren't talking nice neat rows...but it is an awesome place, nonetheless. She has everything from Crista tomatoes to kiwi and black bamboo growing in there. 

Noah sometimes helps us weed, but mostly he likes to help plant when he is in work mode...otherwise you'll find him with a net and a bucket "saving tadpoles" in the fish pond. Yeah, we're growing frogs in the house. Once he lost a bull frog in the living room. By the time we found it, it was flat as a pancake.  We might never have found it, but dead things do have a stinky phase. Since then, we've been a tadpole only kind of place.

I have also eaten more than my fair share of strawberries with-

out making a single jar of freezer jam. I even ate some

when Noah wasn't lookin'.  We haven't really even made much strawberry short cake because Noah is a real berry kid. He loves them. He is already eyeing the raspberries and blackberries!

Yum!!!!!!!!

I planted grasses with the Chesapeake Bay

Foundation with the little guy.  This year we

planted along the James at Westover Plantation.

Noah with the grasses...photo courtesy
 of the cell phone as I forgot to charge batteries

...And David and I got married... in one of my favorite places. 

Sunset after the wedding...

I also became obsessed with the BP oil spill and resulting environmental catastrophe ...and I am not exaggerating...but that is another blog on its own. Until then, happy weekend, XO

What's Cookin' Wednesday...Strawberry Girl Makes Freezer Jam

Yes...I need something to make me come back week in and week out...and I am hoping this helps. I thought maybe it would be fun to see what others are cooking...or not cooking...and either get a few ideas or share some kitchen pain. Noah and I eat far too much Chinese takeout. Oh, go ahead and laugh those of you that know about my China boycott.  I am laughing too!

So for my first What's Cookin blog, I decided to do something close to home, and something for which I am about 2 weeks early on in my neck of the woods...I've always been the impatient sort (this is not to be confused with getting things done in a timely fashion...I am also the queen of last minute, the ever procrastinator).

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM
I grew up on a strawberry farm. The only lingering trauma for having done so is the name-calling. I still get called Strawberry Girl on occasion at the local store. For those out of town, your local store is the closest convenience store to your house. It is that place where everyone knows your dog's name and they have your cell number posted next to the cash register so they can call you when she makes the frequent odd visit. They have also seen you in pajamas when you come to pick up your dog.  In the old days these were general stores. Our store was S.G. Jones and Son. Ours sold everything from groceries to hip boots, knives, and as I remember socks. They also let you charge a handful of hot balls to your parents account when you walked there after getting off the bus instead of heading home as you were supposed to do.

So we don't grow pick your own strawberries anymore...only pumpkins.  We do have a smallish patch at the farm (50 X 50')...and I will probably be making the daily trip in a few days so that I don't miss out on the first ripe berry. I am impatient. I hated strawberries as a kid. I hate love irony. It was the one food I craved when I was pregnant with Noah. So for the past ten years I have been loving strawberries. The year I had Noah turned out to be the last year we operated the farm as a PYO berry farm.

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM
Ingredients
2 cups crushed fresh strawberries
4 cups sugar
1 (1.75 ounce) package Sure-jell dry pectin
3/4 cup water

Directions
1. Pick a heap of fresh, ripe strawberries.  I don't know how much. I always pick loads and eat what I don't use.
2.Mix crushed strawberries with sugar, and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the pectin into the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 1 minute. Stir the boiling water into the strawberries. Allow to stand for 3 minutes before pouring into jars or other storage containers.
3.Place tops on the containers, and leave for 24 hours. Place into freezer, and store frozen until ready to use.
 
Lasts about a month once you've opened it and put it in the fridge.
 
If this recipe looks like the one that comes in the box of Sure-Jell, it is.  It is the best out there. I have tried all sorts of recipes, so if you thought you were getting a family secret, I hope you aren't too disappointed.  If there is a strawberry patch near you, go pick some and try it. The Strawberry Girl can't wait to have strawberry freezer jam on an english muffin.

The photo above is from my uncle's farm in Roca, Nebraska.  Strawberry growing was once contagious.

Poison Ivy and Ticks, Fresh and Raw

Following up on yesterday's post...
The Octagon soap apparently worked its magic...no rash...and I am extremely allergic to poison ivy...which means I am extremely allergic to my yard.
And I haven't found anymore ticks...so I either don't have anymore...or my eyesight is just plain bad.
But that has me wondering if Frontline or Advantix has ever been tested on humankind... And if it has, I want some...and if it hasn't, maybe I'd consider offering myself up as a test specimen.
And I am curious about the folk remedies for poison ivy and ticks. So if you have any, please share.
My sister has been getting poison oak like crazy on the job with the BLM in Oregon. She's been consuming Certo (that preservative you use making jams and jellies) because it is supposed to make the rash fade quicker. I did a little research and discovered the active ingredient, sodium benzoate, may combine with vitamin C to produce benzene...which according to the research is a carcinogen...so I am not so sure about that one. But wouldn't this mean that jams and jellies and any preserved foods for that matter might combine with C to do the same???? I would think this would mean we should be eating fresh, raw food?!?! Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

A few ticks and a rash

It occurred to me that it has been two weeks since I have written. I've had some things on my mind that have kept the words inside, but it is time to dive back in...not because I have anything earth shattering to say, but because if I don't, I just may never.

So in case you don't already know, it is tick season again in our neck of the woods. Oh, I would love to blame it on someone else's woods, but unfortunately it is my own backyard...backyard, front yard...I wouldn't even really call it a yard. Landscaping was the first thing to go when I became a single mom. I know there are single parents out there who can do it all...work, kids, housekeeping, landscaping, and even manage going back to school at the same time...but that isn't me. So I got rid of the flowers (or rather they died, along with the rest of the shrubbery I'd planted years ago) and I decided to just deal with grass...only it isn't grass...it's weeds and poison ivy...and I don't deal with it...unless I am guilted into it.

Last week I bought some zinnia seeds, and sunflowers and moonflowers (my absolute favorite), and today I actually dug a raised bed in the spot I swore I would never dig again (it is much easier to push the lawn mower right up under the porch than it is to pull weeds in a flower bed). I had to haul in extra dirt which I dug from the ditch that invisibly separates the field from the yard. I apparently ventured into tick haven and through poison ivy wonderland on my way ferrying the dirt to what will eventually become the weedy flower bed. I am hoping that I have all the ticks off me, and that octagon soap really does remove the poison ivy oil...but something tells me I am going to be itching tomorrow. I don't like even thinking about that.

The good news is that I am even actually thinking about flowers again. I'm not even going to attempt getting inside my head to understand why. Maybe it's love :-). Bright, cheery flowers make me happy, and I will be glad to see them growing in front of the dilapidated porch...and I am hoping that the moonflower vines will grow all around it, and late on a summer evening I will sit out there and look at the stars with a glass of wine while the sweet scent of moonflowers wafts thru the air...it's worth a few ticks and a rash.

My Easter Bible

My China boycott has not been easy...it has been far easier to stay out of Wal Mart. I look at everything I put in my cart no matter where I go...even greeting cards get scrutinized as I discovered so many wear the "Made in China" tag...and toys...well, forget about it.

So Friday night I was waiting for Noah to come to the toy realization at Ollies where we had stopped to pick up something. I was perusing the Bible section as I had just bought Noah his first and I was curious about what Ollies had. Well, I happened to spot a big, black one called the Archaeological Study Bible, and coming from an archaeological academic background, I had to check it out...

By the time Noah had arrived at the conclusion that I wouldn't be buying any toys (I am sure he scrutinized every possible toy for 9 year old boys), I had fallen in love with the Archaeological Study Bible. It had beautiful illustrations and great articles related to biblical archaeology. It placed each Book in historical and cultural context with wonderful discussion about ancient peoples. It was a Bible for me. I am a context person. Context helps me hold onto new knowledge...otherwise that wisdom just wobbles around in my brain. Context gives it a place to take root and grow. I sooooo wanted that Bible.

And then came the kicker, a mean little sticker that read...yes, you know..."Made in China." Noah had seen me flipping the pages of the Bible...He can read my expressions well. "Is it too expensive?" he asked. "No, " I said, and I showed him the sticker.

"Oh, Mom. Give it up. Everything is made there. Buy the Bible, forget about the boycott."

So there I was...And it was tempting to forget about my boycott...but I try to raise Noah by example. My boycott was about taking a stand for something, an idea, I believe in. I couldn't show Noah that I throw in the towel because I want something...even if that something is the Great Book. I told Noah that I would return after the boycott and that if the Archaeological Study Bible was still on the shelf I'd buy it. We both left empty handed (and I still don't remember what we stopped to pick up in the first place).

On Saturday Noah asked me to take him to Ollies because he wanted to get me an "Easter gift". "I want to buy you the Archaeology Bible, Mom," he said. "Just because you are boycotting China...well, it doesn't mean I am going to do that too. I have my own money. I am going to buy it for you and me and David."

So... I drove him over there...and I didn't expect him to really do it...because he is pretty frugal about spending his own money. But, he found it, and whipped out 25 bucks from his wallet and asked if I would hold his place in line while he looked around. As I got to the cashier, Noah arrived with a small plastic toy and his wallet. "Almost everything is made in China, Mom," he said. "If you want to pay me back sometime, that will be okay." I just smiled...maybe next month...

Thank you, Noah. It has been a wonderful Easter. We spent time with family. We enjoyed Big Day at Living Waters Church, the church we call home...and my mom came with us! Noah says it has been the best Easter ever. I have to agree.

Early Morning Easter Musings

Happy Easter, Buona Pasqua, Happy Big Day/Resurrection Day!!

The sun is just rising and my little one is still asnooze. There wasn't much sleeping going on here last night. I had thought that he was just too excited about today...but it turned out that he watched "The Haunting" at Boys and Girls Club... So the Easter Bunny has done her thing, but there is no little one chasing eggs yet.

I am in desperate need of coffee. I had enough filtered water for two cups, but I put in coffee for eight, so I am waiting on the filter...

I've added some photos I shot yesterday with the camera I was given for Christmas. The camera is one of the best I've ever used, but it is part of an old life and was intended for other purposes...so I am giving it back today...which means it is getting added to the car with the other wierd stuff...

I have a new life. It is beautful. Photographs can't capture all of it...

So...here are some pictures of yesterday...it was a really hazy morning for those of you who don't already know that Mathews County didn't pay any heed to the weatherman...

You couldn't even see the marker at the mouth of the North River...but the haze eventually lifted, as it did on my life. Happy Resurrection Day!